Welcome back to Mediaite’s weekly rankings of the best shows on cable news, hour-by-hour. Last week, we gave the top spot at 1 p.m. to CNN’s Wolf — helmed by cable news legend Wolf Blitzer.

Now, it’s on to the 2 p.m. hour — featuring a trio of female hosts. This is a transition hour on the major cable news nets. During the 2 p.m. hour, the sober, hard news programs begin to give way to passionate commentary. The three hosts here all feature an interesting mix of both.

A reminder: We’re basing our rankings on a variety of factors, including; ratings, influence, entertainment value, the star power of hosts, the quality of guests, whether the show makes news, and its longevity.

With that out of the way, let’s dive into our ranking for the Best Shows on Cable News in the 2 p.m. hour:

3. The Daily Breifing — Hosted by Dana Perino

We had high hopes for this show when it was launched in October 2017. We’ve always enjoyed Perino’s work on The Five. On that show, she’s a key cog. A much needed voice of moderation to balance out the more over-the-top takes from Greg Gutfeld and Jesse Watters. And as such, we thought she might shine as the lead-in to Shepard Smith.

For a variety of reasons, though, this show has struggled to find its footing. Part of it is not Perino’s fault. For one thing, on the increasingly rare occasions when White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders deigns to speak with the media, this program is usually disrupted. And Perino — the former press secretary to President George W. Bush — isn’t as polished of a broadcaster as her 2 p.m. peers to handle the interruptions seamlessly.

But more than that, Perino has disappointed by seemingly continuing to spin for mainstream Republicans, rather than probe beneath the surface on the issues of the day and call things out. Notably, this obviously choreographed interview with House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) springs to mind. More recently, her criticism of former President Barack Obama‘s staffers following President Donald Trump‘s disastrous press conference with Vladimir Putin was bizarre.

Partisanship wouldn’t be disqualifying if the show were more entertaining. But without other voices to bounce off of, Perino can be a bit dry, at times. A co-host might do wonders here.

2. CNN Newsroom — Hosted by Brooke Baldwin

This is one of the most versatile programs in all of cable news, thanks largely to the dexterity of its anchor. Baldwin can moderate heated panel segments, deliver compelling monologues, and conduct hard-hitting interviews all with equal skill. She is an immense talent.

Still, we’re wondering if less might not be more, in this case. As we’ve mentioned before when discussing Poppy Harlow‘s program, two hours solo is a heavy burden for a cable host. Baldwin sometimes looks as though she’s pacing herself during the first hour. We would have loved to see S.E. Cupp — whose daily HLN show recently moved to CNN Saturday nights — land in this timeslot, as she seems a perfect fit here.

But that’s no criticism of Baldwin, who is as professional as they come. Her Trump-bashing can veer into eye-roll territory, at times. But she does call balls and strikes — as in this recent segment in which she gave the president credit for the economy.

Shout out, also, to Baldwin’s production team — which has created some fantastic, pre-packaged material such as this three-minute long list of all the crazy news during the first week of 2018. This is an all-around excellent show.

1. MSNBC Live — Hosted by Katy Tur

This one was really close. Our team agonized over the Tur vs. Baldwin debate for quite a while. But in the end, by a razor-thin margin, the MSNBC anchor — a rising star at the network — carried the day.

Tur does not have quite the same level of gravitas behind the desk as Baldwin. If you asked us which anchor would you want in the pilot’s seat for a major breaking news story, we’d take Baldwin and not look back.

But Tur’s interviews are top of the line. This June 15 dismantling of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) springs instantly to mind. She also knows when to step back and let her guests take the spotlight — a very underrated skill. This was on display during her show’s signature moment to date — the surreal, bombshell March 5 phoner with former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg.

Tur, like Baldwin, can go overboard with her Trump critiques on occasion. It’s understandable: her meteoric rise at the network came when she was plucked off a plane from London and dispatched to cover the Trump campaign in 2015. Her hard-nosed reporting earned her scorn from then-candidate Trump, but her insights into the now-president from the anchor’s perch are tough to rival. Overall, she is measured. She is thorough. And she is the host of the best show in cable news at 2 p.m.

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